On July 31,and August 1, 2014, at The Alloy Studios and the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty, the first annual “Cultured Steel” Hip Hop Festival, presented by the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Collective will take place. Cultured Steel will be headlined with performances by Talib Kweli and Rapsody, assisted by Pittsburgh artists Kellee Maize, Jasiri X and Palermo Stone. Unlike the monthly events the Collective has been hosting, this will be a much larger, two-day event featuring an art gallery, a film screening, artists meet-and-greets, food, drinks and several high-profile artists taking the stage to perform. Two-day passes are available for $20. Below is info on the two-day agenda:

Day 1 [6 pm] Gallery and Film Screening

The Grand Opening Of The Exhibit “40 Years Of Hip-hop Arts & Culture” at The Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15206. A Tribute To The 5 Elements Of Hip-hop, Curated by Paradise Gray, Featuring Artifacts From “The Paradise Collection” And Featured Artist Bob “Durty-1” Freyer. This Exhibit consists of Classic Hip-hop photos and original Hip-hop art by World renowned Hip-hop Artists and Photographers from around the Globe. Ernie Paniccioli, Joe Conzo, Andre’ LeRoy Davis, Anire Mosley, ASKEM, Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, Ignacio Soltero and more. Funding for The Paradise Collection was provided by the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Program, a partnership of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. Our film screening of 9th Wonders, The Hip Hop Fellow will begin at 8pm. Doors open at 6 pm, the exhibit begins at 7pm and tickets are only $10 for both events.

Day 2 [6 pm] Hip Hop Concert

This event will take place at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Avenue. The headlining acts are renowned lyricist Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder Protégé, Rapsody. Assisting them are Pittsburgh standouts Jasiri X, Palermo Stone and Kellee Maize. Doors open at 6pm, the show begins at 7pm and tickets are $15 for this day only.

The Pittsburgh Hip Hop Collective is supported by a generous donation from The Pittsburgh Foundation.